The Transfer Tavern

Kramer could be a top January recruit for Southampton

Southampton went marching into the international break with a win but Mark Hughes and the team know they will have to up their performances in order to be more successful this season.

Having scraped a place in the Premier League this season by finishing 17th, Mark Hughes understood the need for some added quality over the summer and they have addressed a number of their problems thus far.

Southampton do look a far superior side to the one they were last season but with all rivals also spending big to improve themselves, it is bound to be another hard campaign.

In order to make it that bit easier, the January transfer window should be a chance to invest in a protective midfielder who can sit in-front of the back four and sweep away any danger that comes near – someone like German midfielder Christof Kramer.

When making 26 appearances last season, Kramer scored three goals from his defensive-midfield role and consistently broke up play and then set away the more attacking players.

Southampton miss that kind of player in their midfield because although they might have a number of options on paper, none have the quality or skills to perform as a defensive midfielder, most like to get forward which isn’t helpful for their back-line.

The World Cup winner is a neat player that would add a host of quality into Southampton and having already made one successful acquisition from Monchengladbach in the form of Jannik Vestergaard, they should return to prize away another one of their top performers.